​About This Site

Tracking The Question is an archive of responses politicians have given when asked how they will address corruption in Washington.

It exists as a reference guide for activists, the Media, and most importantly, for voters, so that they can make informed decisions about who will best address this problem in 2016 if elected President.

Tracking the Question is a sub-project of the New Hampshire Rebellion. Since January 2014 and continuing up until election day, 2016, we have had one goal in mind: to make the issue of institutional corruption the first and foremost issue of the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire Primary.

If we can do this, we can change the political narrative so that candidates for President will be forced to address it.

The way we are doing this is by holding walks and awareness events where we ask the citizens of New Hampshire to go to town halls and public stump speeches, and ask the candidate one question: "What specific reforms will YOU advance to end the corrupting influence of money in politics?" And we intend to record the candidates responses - on video cameras, cellphones, and microphones - and keep the American people updated here.

We are motivated by one unavoidable fact: It is impossible in America to make meaningful progress on the major issues of our day until we address the system of corruption that has infected our government.

Environment, healthcare, education, or the long-term deficit — we cannot address any of these problems until we address the system of corruption that has infected our government. Money comes in from various special interests ranging from unions, corporations, individuals and various other sources which leads to the dysfunction that blocks sensible progress on any of the major issues we face. The way we fund elections in America forces public officials to focus on the task of raising money, and hence upon the needs of the tiny fraction of people that funds campaigns, instead of the job that they were elected to do.

For a candidate to simply get onto a ballot, let alone get elected, requires ever larger sums of money as the Supreme Court systematically eliminates restrictions on contributions. The result is that members of Congress spend 30–70% of their time raising money from a small number of influential, deep-pocketed donors. In addition to leaving them less time to actually serve their constituents, this creates a system of influence peddling. This system promotes the interests of their funders rather than those of their voters, giving funders undue power over public policy.

The framers of our Constitution designed a republic with a Congress that would be, as Madison put it, “dependent on the people alone.” Even though it doesn’t involve criminal acts, Congress’s mission to serve the people has been corrupted. Congress serves the funders instead.

​This is an addressable problem with practical solutions. all that is lacking is political courage.

We will ensure the next president has that courage.

The problem is not that change is impossible, but that it merely seems impossible. Polling conducted in 2013 shows that 96% of Americans believe that the role of money in politics must be reformed, however, only 91% of Americans believe that it can be reformed. In short, the people are already motivated on this issue. They just need to be shown a solution is possible. And indeed, this problem could be (mostly) solved with a single statute. You can find out more about several proposed statutory solutions here.

With this site, we can find out which candidates support these solutions, which candidates support other solutions, which candidates merely pay lip service to the problem, and which candidates ignore the problem entirely. When it comes time to vote, you'll know who stands with the special interests and crony capitalists - and who will really represent the people of the United States as the next President of the U.S.